MANILA, Philippines -- The Bureau of Immigration's ranking in terms of level of corruption has dropped dramatically, and officials attributed this to policy reforms instituted by the agency.

The bureau’s graft standing slid to number seven from 76, with 80 being the most corrupt, acting Immigration Commissioner Roy Almoro said Thursday, citing the results of a performance evaluation conducted by the Civil Service Commission among 80 government agencies.

Almoro said the decrease could be attributed to the wide-ranging policy reforms instituted by Commissioner Marcelino Libanan that hastened work efficiency.

Part of Libanan’s package of policy reforms includes streamlined operations and computerized systems.

Seminars in line with the bureau's Integrity Development Action Plan were also conducted for Immigration employees, he said.

Recently, Almoro said 40 selected personnel attended a two-day seminar dubbed “Ehem!” as part of efforts to rid the agency of corruption.

Asked why the seminar was called "Ehem!," Almoro said, "it is because the vernacular word connotes that something irregular or a corrupt practice is being done in an office."

He said the seminar did not only dwell on spotting corruption, but also on finding ways to prevent it.

Almoro said "Ehem!" was appended with "Aha" to make employees aware of the gravity of such offense under the government's anti-graft and corrupt practices law.